Lady&#39;s handbag



March 21, 1939. F N, LEWS 2,150,979

' LADYS HANDBAG 2 Sheets-:Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 4, 1938 Qmu 7) INVENTOR.

BY W? 1 ATRORNEYS March 21, 1939. F. N. LEWIS I LADYS HANDBAG Filed Feb. 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTO NEYS Patented Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to handbags and particularly to means for holding such a bag closed. More particularly, the invention relates to means for clamping the frame members of a 5 handbag together to assure that the bag will remain closed.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple and positive means for holding a handbag in closed position.

10 Another object of the invention is to provide such a holding means which may be simply and easily incorporated in the handbag structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holding means of the class described which may be incorporated within the handbag structure subsequent to the completion of the bag itself so that the bag and the holding means may be sold separately and combined in accordance with the wishes of the customer.

20 Other objects and features of the invention will appear when the following specification is considered in connection with the appended drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete 25 handbag;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the bag of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, showing the construction of one of the frame members of the handbag and the mode of installing the holding or clamping means of the invention. This figure shows the clamping means in position to retain the handbag closed;

Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3 except that it shows the parts in the position in which it is possible to open the handbag;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the frame members and clamping mechanism taken along the plane of the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section showing the position of the clamping member with respect to the frame members when the bag is closed. This view is taken along the plane of the line 6--6 of Figure 3;

45 Figure '7 is a view of a modified form of clamping structure, the view being similar to Figure 3;

Figure 8 is similar to Figure 4 but shows the modified structure of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary top plan view of the 50 frame members and the clamping member of the modified form; and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary, vertical, cross-sectional view of the modified structure taken along the plane of the line Ill-l0 of Figure 7.

55 The handbag comprises a pair of inverted U- shaped frames 2! and 22, Figures 2, 3 and 4, pivoted together in any suitable manner at the extremities of their legs, as is common practice. These frames are in this instance made of channel members to provide space in which to insert 5 portions of the clamping means of the invention. The bag is formed on the frames 2| and 22 by fastening the covering material 29 thereto in any suitable manner as, for example, by gluing the covering material to the frame, folding the mate- 10 rial over the frame, and fastening the edges of the material inside the channel with which the frame is made. The bag so formed is then suitably lined, the lining being likewise fastened within the channel of the frame members. All of the above is ordinary bag construction and is recited only as an example of the bag to which my invention is applied. Bags made in other manners may obviously utilize the invention as described below.

At each end of one of the frame members or at one end of each of the frame members a small rectangular hole is made in the base of the channel. There is inserted in this hole a bar 25, Figures 3, 4 and 5, which bar is fastened to a U-shaped clamping member 23, the legs of this U being sufficiently widely spaced to permit it to straddle the two frames 2! and 22. This clamping member 23 may be decorated by the ornaments 24 or in any other suitable manner, or it may be left undecorated. The bar 25 extends horizontally within the channel of the frame member 22 and is held in position by means of a pin 28 which extends through the sides of the channel and lies within a notch 27 in the bar 25, In order to hold the bar against the pin, a leaf spring 255 is provided, this spring being inserted in a hole in the bar 25 and resting against the inner side of the base of the channel. As will be seen by reference to Figure 3, when the clamping member is in clamping position the base of the U thereof rests against the band 29 which is fastened to the side of the frame member 22. These bands 29 are placed on the frame members 2| and 22 for cooperation with the clamping member 23, and the sliding contact of the member 23 is solely with these bands so that the finish of the frame members will not be damaged. When the clamping member is moved to position so that the bag may be opened, it assumes the position shown in Figure 4, in which the end of the notch 2'! rests against the pin 28 and limits the outward movement of member 23.

Referring now to Figure 2, it will be seen that when the bag is to be opened the members 23 are moved outwardly whereupon it is only necessary to pivot the two frame members about their common pivot point to gain access to the interior of the bag. It will likewise be seen that inward movement of the clamping members 23 will cause the bag to be retained closed without any use of complicated snap fastenings or zipper type fastenings such as are frequently used.

The bag described above has the disadvantage that the clamping members 23 must be inserted within the frame members and the pins 28 fastened within the notch 21 and extending across the channel before the covering can'be put on the frames, or in other words before the bag can be formed. Because of this the bag and clamping members must be sold as a unit and the customer has no choice of the type of decoration which is supplied on the clamping member. In Figures 7 through 10 a form of my invention is shown in which the bag can be completely formed and the clamping members installed at the time of sale, thus making it possible for the customer to select those clamping members which are desired. In this form the bar 25 is supported within the channel of the frame member by means of lugs 32 bent off therefrom as shown in Figures 7 to 9. In order to hold the bar upon these lugs, a tongue 3| is bent downwardly from the base of the channel to a position in which it bears against the top of the bar. The bar 25 is also provided with a notch 30 which at its left end, as seen in the drawings, is cut perpendicular to the surface of the bar so that the tongue 31 will act to limit its movement toward the right.

It will be seen that due to this construction the bag may be completely formed and the covering fastened to the frame members before the clamping members are inserted. Thus any desired clamping members may be assembled with the bag at the time of sale,,this being done simply by inserting the bars 25 in the holes in the frame members and moving them inwardly. As they move inwardly the tongue 3| will move upwardly over the end of the bar and move into the notch 30 so that the clamping members may not thereafter be removed; In other respects the clamping member of Figures '7 to 10 is identical with that described in connection with Figures 3 to 6, and, as will be obvious, Figures 1 and 2 are representations of either form.

While a, preferred embodiment of this invention has been described, it is obvious that other forms may be utilized which lie within the scope of the invention, and, therefore, no limitation is to be implied from the preceding specification. My invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.

connected frame sections, each of which comprises an inverted U-shaped channel member, in combination, a U-shaped clamping member adapted to fit over corresponding portions of each of said frame members, a bar extending inwardly from said clamping member and lying within the channel of one of said frame members, a notch in said bar, a pin extending across the channel within said nowh, and. a spring member between said bar and'the base of the channel of said frame member to hold the bar in position with the pin in the notch.

3. In a fastener for a bag having pivotally connected frame sections, each of which comprises an inverted U-shaped channel member, in combination, a U-shaped clamping member adapted to fit over corresponding portion-s of each of said frame members, a bar extending inwardly from said clamping member and lying within the channel of said frame member, lugs bent into the channel from the sides thereof to form a support for said bar, and a tongue bent inwardly from the base of the channel to retain said bar against said supporting lugs, the said tongue also cooperating with said bar to limit the outward movement of said clamping member.

4. In a fastener for a bag having pivotally connected frame sections, each of which comprises an inverted U-shaped channel member, in com bination, lugs bent inwardly from the sides of the channel of one of said frame members, a tongue bent inwardly from the base of the channel of said frame member, said tongue being adjacent said lugs but spaced therefrom, and a notched bar adapted to be inserted through a hole in the base of the channel of said frame member, located in the side thereof, and to be supported on the said lugs and held in position by cooperation of said tongue with the upper surface of the bar and the notch therein.

FLORENCE N. LEWIS. 

